Belonging
by Shoshanna
Summary: This fic is set ten years into the future. Spike returns to Sunnydale to see the Slayer, but meets up with Dawn who is all grown up now and has issues with her sister...
1. ~Belonging~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this computer that allows me to borrow these characters and create these fantasies for your enjoyment.  
  
  
Author's note: This story takes place ten years into the future. It is a Spike/Dawn/Buffy centered fic.   
  
  
  
~ Belonging ~  
  
  
~ Chapter 1 ~  
  
  
  
Spike made his way through the crowd of people and sat down at the bar. The place didn't look the same as when he last saw it. It was still called the Bronze, but the faces were all different and the décor was decidedly darker than it had been the last time.  
  
  
He scanned the crowd wondering if she still frequented this place the way she and her friends had done for all those years. He didn't recognize anyone. He took a long swallow of his beer and ran his fingers through his hair.  
  
  
It had been ten years since he had left. Ten years since he had sworn that he would never come back to this godforsaken place. And here he was. He didn't really know what he had hoped to accomplish by coming here, but something drew him back. Maybe he just needed closure, he wasn't sure.  
  
  
He heard laughter and turned to see where it was coming from. He spied a beautiful woman talking to some friends. She had long dark hair and she casually brushed it out of her face. He sat there transfixed by her beauty and couldn't shake the feeling that something seemed familiar about her.  
  
  
She turned and looked in his direction, they made eye contact. Her smile faded and a look of surprise came over her face. All at once he suddenly realized who this gorgeous creature was. Dawn, the Slayer's little sister. Only she wasn't so little anymore. In fact she was older now than Buffy had been the last time he had seen her. Dawn clearly seemed to recognize him.  
  
  
He watched as she muttered something to her friends and slowly made her way over to where he sat waiting for her arrival. He smiled as she stood before him.  
  
  
"Spike? Oh my god…" She said to him in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"  
  
  
"Well, hello Nibblet." He said with slight sarcasm.  
  
  
She just stared at him, unsure of what to say or do. She had had the biggest crush on him when she was a kid. Buffy had been really upset about it, but she didn't care. Spike had been her friend when no one else was. Seeing him again was almost too much to bear. All at once she lunged forward and enveloped him in a hug.  
  
  
Spike was taken aback at this display of affection at first, but he quickly returned her embrace. When she pulled away he noticed the smile on her face.  
  
  
"I can't believe you came back." She said excitedly. "You know Buffy said you were probably dead by now."  
  
  
"Good ol' Buffy. Wishful thinking, on her part." He said sarcastically. "I'm still around."  
  
  
"Wow. I'm just in shock. Why are you back?" She asked him.  
  
  
"Well, you know, I'm just passing through." He said casually. "So how is Buffy?"  
  
  
Dawn's smile faded slightly. "Your not still in love with her, are you?"  
  
  
She had always been jealous of Buffy. She always seemed to get everything that Dawn had wanted. When Buffy had Spike's affection, Dawn seethed with envy. Buffy had been horrified and Dawn tried to play along, but she secretly wished that she had been in Buffy's shoes. But she was just a kid then. Spike would never have noticed her in that way. She wasn't a kid anymore though.  
  
  
"No, I'm way past that now, Luv." He lied to her. He still thought about Buffy all the time. She was the one thing in his life that he had wanted more than anything, and could not possess.   
  
  
She still haunted him, day and night. It wasn't the same anymore, seeing as how he hadn't actually seen her in years, but her face still consumed his every daydream and his every nightmare.  
  
  
"Good, because I'd hate to be the one to tell you that she's getting married." Dawn told him.  
  
  
Spike's expression turned sour at this unexpected news. He didn't know why this would surprise him. Of course Buffy would go on with her life. She probably never even gave him a second thought. Hell, she probably never even realized that he had gone. He silently felt himself wishing that Buffy had died instead of learning that she was marrying some fool who probably didn't deserve her. Not that he deserved her, he had never been good enough.  
  
  
"Really?" Spike said to her. " Well, good for her."  
  
  
Dawn saw the way his expression changed and knew that his feelings for her sister were as strong as ever.  
  
  
"Listen, he's real nice, you'd probably like him." She said trying to make him feel better knowing that she sounded like an idiot. Spike didn't like very many people and he certainly wouldn't like anyone who was marrying Buffy.  
  
  
"Oh, I'm sure I'd love him." He said bitterly, downing the rest of his drink.   
  
  
Dawn looked nervously over at her group of girlfriends and noticed that they were motioning for her to bring Spike over. She turned back to Spike and smiled again. She took his hand.  
  
  
"Come on. I want you to meet my friends."  
  
  
"Aw, Luv, I don't think so." He said apprehensively.   
  
  
"Come on! They don't bite." She said, then she looked at him suddenly worried. "You still don't bite, do you?"  
  
  
Spike laughed and shook his head. " No, I still don't bite. Still harmless as little lamb."   
  
  
The truth was, he had no idea if that chip still worked or not. It had been many years since he had even attempted to hurt any humans. Eventually he just gave up trying. He assumed it was still nestled in his brain, ready to its nasty work, but he didn't test it.  
  
  
"Everyone, this is Spike. He's an old friend." Dawn said to her group.  
  
  
All the girls smiled at him and one of them whispered something in Dawn's ear and they both laughed.  
  
  
"He is, isn't he?" Dawn said softly, smiling at her friend.  
  
  
"He's what?" Spike asked, wondering what sort of things these girls were saying about him.  
  
  
"Nothing." Dawn muttered, embarrassed.  
  
  
Spike only smirked and began to size up Dawn and her friends.  
  
  
One of the girls smiled at him and broke the awkward silence.   
  
  
"So, Spike? That's kind of a strange name. Did your parents not like you or something?" She laughed, trying to be flirty.   
  
  
Spike glared at her. "Spike is a nickname." He answered calmly.  
  
  
The girl was a little taken aback at his bluntness, but smiled politely. She knew when a guy was not being drawn in by her charms.  
  
  
Dawn noticed the uncomfortable air that had built up around Spike and her friends. She decided to get Spike out of there and have him all to herself.  
  
  
She grabbed his arm. "Spike and I are gonna split now." She told everyone.  
  
  
"We are?" Spike asked confused.  
  
  
"Yes, say goodbye to the gang." She said with a mischievous smile.  
  
  
Spike managed a half hearted wave to her girlfriends and allowed himself to be dragged out of the dingy club by Dawn.  
  
  
They walked silently through the parking lot. She was lost in thought. She had always had a thing for him, but he had left before anything could happen. She was just too young then, but things had changed a lot since he had been gone.  
  
  
Her rivalry with Buffy only became more apparent as the years passed. She knew that they weren't really sisters, but for all intents and purposes, they were just like any other sisters that had been together since birth. They loved each other, despite their constant battles.  
  
  
Before Spike left Sunnydale, Buffy and her friends had defeated Glory, and Dawn had become 100% human. She wasn't some ball of energy, or a key to anything. She was just Dawn. A dorky fourteen-year old girl, with no mother and a vampire slayer for a sister.  
  
  
She had a hard time dealing with everything, and missed talking with someone like Spike. Buffy was way too overprotective and never let her do anything. Spike had always talked to her like she was an adult, a person, and not a baby. She had cried the night she had gone to his crypt and found it empty, all of his things gone. He hadn't even said goodbye.  
  
  
Dawn knew that it was Buffy who had driven him away. He had loved her and made a complete fool of himself trying to win her heart. Buffy coldly rejected him. Dawn was still bitter that her sister was the cause of Spike's departure all those years ago.  
  
  
She knew that she couldn't have told Buffy that she had still been hanging around him. She had promised to stay away and played the part of the sympathetic sister when Buffy was freaked out by Spike's affection. But she never understood how Buffy could hate Spike. Dawn never cared about what he had done, only the way he was when he was with her.  
  
  
Seeing him now made all the affection she had had for him resurface. She wasn't going to let him leave this time. And she certainly wouldn't let Buffy drive him away again. She didn't care what Buffy or anyone else thought. She turned and watched as he lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply.  
  
  
"Can I have one?" She asked him.  
  
  
He turned sharply to face her, surprise registering on his face.  
  
  
"You smoke, Luv?" He asked her.  
  
  
"Yeah, so?" She said defiantly.  
  
  
"Nothing. It's just surprising, I guess." He said shaking his head and reaching into his pocket to retrieve another cigarette. He handed it to her.  
  
  
"You know, I'm not a kid anymore. I can do grown-up things now, Spike. I'm twenty-four, for god's sake." She said miffed that he apparently still saw her as a child.  
  
  
"I realize that, Luv. It's just…Oh, bloody hell, forget it." He said with irritation. Then he looked at her again. "You're nothing like your sister, are you?"  
  
  
She smiled coyly at him. "No. Why did you want me to be?"  
  
  
"I didn't want you to be anything. I just assumed with Buffy practically havin' to raise you, that you'd be just like her. All prudish and stuck up and no fun." He said with a laugh.  
  
  
She thought for a moment, then tossed her long, dark hair back over her shoulder. She smiled at him.  
  
  
"So, you want to go back to my place?" She said full of innuendo.  
  
  
Spike started to cough on the smoke from his cigarette.  
  
  
"What?" He said completely caught off guard.  
  
  
"Well, do you?" She said still trying to be seductive, but getting irritated.  
  
  
"Listen, Nibblet…" He started.  
  
  
"Don't call me that. I'm not a baby, Spike." She said throwing her cigarette onto the ground and stomping it out.  
  
  
"Sorry, Dawn… Look, You don't really want me to go back to your place. Remember, I'm evil, a vampire, grr!" He said to her morphing into his demon features, then quickly readjusting back to his human guise.  
  
  
She only laughed at him. "You know, that's not even remotely scary to me anymore, and neither are you. You never scared me, Spike." She told him seriously.  
  
  
"Oh come on, I am scary." He said desperately. He still hadn't completely gotten over the fact that he was no longer feared by humans.  
  
  
"No, you're actually not." She said casually, then she gave him a sideways glance. "Besides, it's not like I've never been with a vampire before."  
  
  
He stopped dead in his tracks at that statement and swung around to meet her gaze.  
  
  
"What?!" He said angrily.  
  
  
"Why so surprised? You think that you're the only vampire that escaped from that Initiative with a chip in his head? I'm surprised you didn't meet the others while you were still here." She said nonchalantly.   
  
  
He was still reeling from her admission and could hardly believe his ears. Other's like him?  
  
  
"You mean that there were others? It wasn't just me?"  
  
  
"No, there were at least ten others. Carlos was one of them." She said softly, remembering her first vampire boyfriend. Buffy had flipped out. Dawn remembered the details bitterly.  
  
  
Spike only stood there speechless.  
  
  



	2. Chapter Two

~ Belonging ~  
  
~ Chapter 2 ~  
  
  
Dawn had been seventeen when she met Carlos. She hadn't even realized what he was until she had already fallen for him, then he had told her. Before that, she had just thought of him as dangerous and mysterious. Just the sort of boy she was interested in. When she found out he was another chipped vampire, she wanted to know more.  
  
  
It had turned out that there was a group of them that were living together and trying to integrate themselves into society undetected. Not all of them were as nice as Carlos, but none of them killed humans anymore. Dawn loved Carlos more than anything.  
  
  
He had only been twenty when he had been changed. The Initiative had captured him almost immediately. It took a lot of time and hiding out before he realized that he didn't want to spend eternity alone and hidden. That was when he met Dawn. She had changed everything for him. She inspired him to do good things and help others the way Spike had done. Her love helped make him feel alive again. Until Buffy found out.  
  
  
Buffy had gone ballistic and tried to keep them apart. Dawn had grown defiant and snuck out whenever she could to meet Carlos. Dawn had tried to convince Buffy that it was just like her and Angel, but she refused to believe it.   
  
  
One night, Carlos was helping a woman who was being attacked by another vampire. Buffy happened upon the scene and mistook Carlos for the perpetrator, and staked him before she realized who he was. By then, it was too late. Carlos was gone and Buffy had to break the news to Dawn.  
  
  
Since that night, Dawn had grown completely distant from Buffy. It took a long time to even look at her again, but Dawn tried to move on and forgive. It was too hard. To Buffy, things appeared to be normal again, but for Dawn, the heartache only grew deeper. Things never were the same and her rivalry with Buffy grew even stronger.  
  
  
  
Spike watched her face as he could tell she was recalling something painful.   
  
  
"Carlos? You had a vampire for a boyfriend? And he had a chip?" He asked.  
  
  
"Yes." She answered him.  
  
  
"Well, where is he now? I wanna' meet him." Spike asked. He had always wondered if there were others, but had never heard of such a thing.  
  
  
Dawn's expression fell at the memory of Carlos' fate. She wiped away the tear that started to fall from her eye.  
  
  
"Carlos is dead. Buffy killed him."  
  
  
"Oh." He said softly. "Your sister killed your boyfriend?"  
  
  
Dawn nodded her head sadly.  
  
  
"It was an accident. She mistook him for someone else. It's a long story." She said quietly, not wanting to revisit the memory.  
  
  
"Well, isn't that just like Buffy. Slay first, ask questions later." He said shaking his head.  
  
  
Dawn wiped her eyes and threw her head back, as if to shake off the unpleasantness of the memories.  
  
  
"Look, Spike. It was a long time ago. Let's just forget it." She said shaking her head.  
  
  
"Right. Well then…" He said unsure of what to say or do now.  
  
  
"So do you have a place to stay? Because you can still come to my place. We have a lot of catching up to do, you know?" She said with a smile.  
  
  
Spike wasn't sure if he should go with her or not, but he figured, 'What the hell', she was a grown woman and could make her own decisions.  
  
  
"Lead the way, Luv." He said with a smirk.  
  
  
"My car is over here." She said pointing to a red convertible.  
  
  
"Nice ride." He said admiring the car.   
  
  
"Yeah, it's great. It's pretty sexy, huh?" She smiled as she climbed in.  
  
  
He nodded and got into the passenger side.  
  
  
"So where is it that you call home now, Luv? Please tell me you don't still live with Buffy." He laughed.  
  
  
Dawn's smile hardened at the mention of her sister.   
  
  
"No, of course not. Buffy still lives in our old house. I've got my own place. Remember Xander? Well, I got his apartment after he and Anya moved away." She told him as they sped away.  
  
  
"Xander? Yeah, I remember that bloke. He moved?"  
  
  
"Yeah, he and Anya got married about six years ago. She got pregnant and they decided that the Hellmouth wasn't where they wanted to raise their kids. Can't say that I blame them. They live in Oregon now." She told him.  
  
  
He glanced over at her and was in awe of how the awkward girl he remembered, had turned into such a lovely creature. Her dark hair waved in the wind as they drove along. He felt himself longing to reach out and touch her, but he didn't, not yet.  
  
  
"So, what about Red and her girlfriend? They still here?" He asked off-hand.  
  
  
"Willow and Tara?" Dawn asked glancing over at him.  
  
  
He nodded his head.  
  
  
"Will is still here. She's a teacher at the high school. Tara died almost nine years ago." She added sadly.  
  
  
Spike nodded his head. He had never thought much one way or the other for Red's girlfriend. Wasn't surprising to him that she met with an unkind fate. It was amazing that more of them hadn't perished while living on this Hellmouth.  
  
  
"Demon? Vampire?" He asked.  
  
  
"Nope. Good old fashioned car accident. Amazing, isn't it? Living in Sunnydale fighting all sorts of creepy crawlies and she gets hit by a car walking across the street to the Magic Box. It was awful. Willow was completely wrecked." She told him.  
  
  
"Life sucks, don't it, Luv?" He responded shaking his head.  
  
  
"We're here." She said proudly, pulling up in front of her building. "You are so gonna love what I did with the place."  
  
  
He smiled not really caring about what her apartment looked like. He had never been there before anyway, so he wouldn't know the difference.  
  
  
They walked up and entered the building.  
  
  
"Here it is." She said, opening the door. "Welcome to my humble home. Come on in."  
  
  
He walked in and glanced around. Everything was decorated in red and black. Very modern and very unlike what he expected. He expected frilly, flowery things and not the harsh décor that he saw before him.  
  
  
"Very interesting." He said as he sat down on a black leather sofa.   
  
  
"Yeah, well red is my favorite color." She said beaming.  
  
  
"It's nice." He said growing somewhat uncomfortable.  
  
  
"I'm sorry I don't have a blood or anything. I wasn't expecting any undead company, but I have wine." She told him as she went to the kitchen and got out a bottle of Merlot and two glasses.  
  
  
"Wine is good." He said glancing around the room.  
  
  
He noticed pictures of Dawn and some of the friends he met tonight, and some of Dawn with Xander and Anya at what was apparently their wedding. There was a very well framed portrait of her mother on the coffee table and he smiled when he noticed it. He also noticed a particularly large picture of Dawn dressed in a graduation uniform with Giles beaming proudly at her side. What was missing from the room were any pictures of Buffy. He took a mental note of that fact.  
  
  
"So, Luv, what about Giles? That old man still around?" He asked curiously. He had always liked that man, even though by the time Spike had left Sunnydale, Giles despised him more than ever. Spike always remembered living with him and watching Passions. Giles never wanted to Spike to mention those times, but they made Spike smile.  
  
  
Dawn laughed. "He'd love to hear you refer to him as an old man, I'm sure. Giles still owns the Magic box. That's where I work, actually. Once Anya left, he needed someone and since I was newly out of school, I got the job."  
  
  
"Hmm. So, is he still Buffy's watcher?"  
  
  
"No, actually, Buffy isn't really a Slayer anymore." Dawn said pouring the wine.  
  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
  
"Well, she doesn't do it officially anymore. She sort of retired. After Faith died, another Slayer was called, and Buffy just sort of decided that she had had enough. That's when Giles retired from the council. Buffy wanted a normal life." Dawn said taking a sip of her wine.  
  
  
"A normal life, eh?" He said gulping his drink down. Thinking about Buffy still made him crazy. He could only imagine how thrilled she would be to know he was sipping wine with her baby sis.  
  
  
"Crazy, huh? But that was what she had been wanting forever. She figured once she made it to twenty-seven, she was getting too old to slay all the time. She wanted to get married and have kids. You know, the whole fairytale. That's when she met Brandon."  
  
  
"Brandon?" Spike asked mocking the wholesome name.  
  
  
"Yeah, he's a teacher too. Will introduced them. To tell the truth he is dull and boring beyond belief, but he's nice, I guess. He's forty-two, so he's like, kind of old for Buffy. But considering Angel is like almost 300, I guess it's a step down." Dawn said without much enthusiasm. Talking about her sister always put her in a bad mood.  
  
  
"Angel. Is soul man still alive and repenting all his sins?" Spike asked refilling his glass. He had gone to work for him for a short time after he left Sunnydale.  
  
  
Angel was none too pleased to have Spike show up on his doorstep, but eventually, and after a lot of beating each other half to death, Angel decided to let Spike work for him.  
  
  
They actually became reluctant friends, but it all came crashing down when Spike had failed to protect Cordelia one night. It wasn't as if he meant for her to get killed, but he was distracted by another demon. He didn't even see the one that attacked Cordelia until it was too late.  
  
  
Angel almost killed him that night, blaming him for letting it happen on purpose. Spike left LA that night and never looked back. Truth was, he had cared for Cordy, but she never even gave him the time of day.  
  
  
He learned from his mistakes with Buffy, to just keep his mouth shut about his feelings, so that she would never know. He was extremely upset by her death and destroyed his apartment before he left. From that moment on, he vowed to keep to himself and work alone. Attachments, especially to humans, were only troublesome and painful. But here he was now, with Buffy's little sister, of all people.  
  
  
  
  
Dawn finished off her glass and nodded her head.   
  
  
"Angel, I'm sure he's still around, somewhere. Haven't heard from him in a long time." She told him.  
  
  
"He's not in LA anymore?"  
  
  
"Nope. After Cordelia died, he sort of freaked out. I think he was in love with her, or something. Buffy didn't believe that, though. She always selfishly deluded herself into thinking she was the only girl he'd ever love. But anyway, after she died, he disappeared." Dawn retold the tale.  
  
  
"Really?" Spike asked. "Never to be seen again?"  
  
  
"Well, he wrote Buffy once or twice, but it was useless. That whole curse thing, you know? Buffy moved on, I guess."  
  
  
Spike decided that Dawn didn't know that he was partly responsible for Cordy's death. He wasn't going to tell her. Angel had never mentioned to any of the Scoobies, Buffy especially, that he was working for him. I guess he didn't tell them about the night Cordy died either.  
  
  
Dawn put her glass down and moved closer to Spike.  
  
  
"You know, all this talking is making me sleepy." She said touching his face. "Are you tired?" She whispered in his ear.  
  
  
She just wanted to stop talking about Buffy and the past. Most of the memories were painful. Besides, she had other things on her mind. She wanted Spike.   
  
  
She had fantasized about him for years, and never told anyone. She always hoped that one day he would some back and they could get to know each other properly. Her infatuation with him was one of the reasons she fell for Carlos and why she always sought out bad boy types.  
  
  
"Actually, I just woke up a few hours ago, Luv." He said nervously. The male part of him was dying to take this beautiful girl to bed, but somehow it just didn't seem quite right. When he looked at her, he still saw a little girl, even though her appearance suggested none of the innocence she once possessed.  
  
  
"Oh, even better, because sleep wasn't really what I had in mind." She said kissing him full on the mouth.  
  
  
Spike tried to resist her, but it was futile. She was just too damn gorgeous and her lips were so warm. They tasted like wine and honey to him.   
  
  
She crawled onto his lap and continued kissing him. He returned her passion. Her long graceful limbs intertwined with his and the warmth of her supple body made him ache.  
  
  
"Let's go to my room." She whispered into his ear.  
  
  
Spike picked her up in his arms, made his way to her bedroom, and tossed her onto the bed playfully.  
  
  
She giggled and for an instant, he caught a glimpse of her former self, but it was gone once she grabbed him and pulled him down onto the bed with her.  
  
  
Clothes were being ripped off and the sounds of their passion were clearly audible throughout the building. Spike only hoped that her neighbors weren't light sleepers.  
  
  
He hadn't been with a woman in a long time. He had gotten involved with other women over the years, humans for the most part, but he never allowed himself to fall in love again.   
  
  
He had loved Dru more than anyone and anything in the world, but he had been long since over that. Buffy had come next. He still loved her, he figured he always would. But then there was Cordelia. He had cared for her, but it wasn't the same way as it was with Buffy. She was a friend, at least he believed that. He never knew if she returned the affection or not.  
  
  
After Cordelia died, he bedded a string of women, most never even knowing what he was. They would wake up in the morning to an empty bed and by then he was long gone.  
  
  
Dawn was different. He sensed that if he tried to slip out undetected, she would hunt him down. She was that relentless. He decided then and there that this girl was special. She knew exactly what he was and she still wanted him, needed him, maybe even loved him. He couldn't resist her.  
  
  
Afterwards, they lay spent in each others arms. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and pulled the red comforter over their nude bodies.  
  
  
She sighed contentedly. "Spike, that was perfect. Better than I had imagined all these years."  
  
  
Spike turned his head to face her.  
  
  
"You imagined this?" He asked.  
  
  
"Of course I did. God, you don't know how I wished that I was Buffy all those years ago. She was so stupid. You loved her and she was so cruel to you. I hated her for that." Dawn said with irritation.  
  
  
"There was a time I though you hated me for it too." He told her.  
  
  
"Well, I did, sort of. I mean, at first I was mad. Not because I thought it was creepy, the way she did, but because I was jealous. Also I had to play along to satisfy her. But remember, I came to you many times after that. We talked and you helped me get over my mother's death. You were my friend, Spike. Buffy never knew about that." Dawn told him.   
  
  
She knew all of that would have to change. It was about time that Buffy realized that Dawn was her own person, and now that Spike was back, Buffy would find out about this. Dawn smiled at that thought. Watching her sister freak out was always fun.  
  
  
"Of course I remember that. You made me swear never to tell anyone. We were friends, but this? You actually imagined this?" He said gesturing towards the bed they now lay in.  
  
  
"Yes, silly. I know I was too young then, but I still hoped that one day when I was old enough, you'd find me again."  
  
  
"Well, here I am, Luv." He said pulling her close.  
  
  
"Oh, Spike. I'm just so glad you came back." She said kissing him.  
  
  
She had fantasized about this moment, and she never stopped carrying a torch for him, but she had to admit part of it was getting back at Buffy. She was forever trying to do whatever she could to shock her and make her mad.  
  
  
Sleeping with Buffy's biggest enemy was the perfect plan. She was able to kill two birds with one stone. She got to be with Spike, whom she had always wanted and the bonus was that Buffy would have a conniption fit.  
  
  
They both soon forgot everything else as they began to make love again. The sun began to rise on the horizon behind the heavy drapes in Dawn's bedroom. Neither of them realized they had been up all night, and neither cared.  



	3. Chapter Three

~ Belonging ~ Chapter 3 ~  
  
  
  
  
Dawn woke up first and yawned. Spike still lay next to her, tangled in the bedsheets. She smiled at the sight of the sleeping vampire. He was so perfect. Dawn felt sure that she would be attracted to him, even if he wasn't a vampire. That fact only intrigued her more.  
  
  
She got up and put her robe on. She headed for the kitchen to make coffee. She closed all the drapes in the living room. She wouldn't want poor Spike to combust when he finally stumbled out here.  
  
  
She started the coffee and went to get into the shower. She glanced at the clock, it was almost noon. Luckily she didn't have to be at work until two. As she stepped into the shower, she failed to hear the phone ringing.  
  
  
Spike was awakened by the incessant ringing. He was dazed and did not remember where he was at first. He reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the phone.  
  
  
"What the bloody hell do you want?" He said angrily. He was having a wonderful dream that he was making love to a beautiful, dark haired goddess of a woman named Dawn. He didn't like the interruption.  
  
  
The caller on the other end was completely silent. He suddenly got his bearings and realized that it had been no dream. He had been with Dawn last night, and he was still in her bed. He then realized that he had picked up her phone and now the caller was not saying anything.  
  
  
"Oh… my… god…Spike?" He heard Buffy's angry voice ring out through the phone.  
  
  
Spike panicked at first. Hearing Buffy's familiar angry tone again brought back so many memories. He wasn't sure what to do. He never should have answered the bloody phone.  
  
  
"Sorry you have the wrong number." He said trying to fake an American accent, as he slammed the phone down.  
  
  
Buffy held the phone away from her face and stared at it completely puzzled.  
  
  
"What's wrong, Buff?" Brandon asked her. "Was your sister not home?"  
  
  
"Uh, I don't know. That was just the strangest thing. I could have sworn I dialed right, but that voice…." She said lost in thought. The fake accent that he used to try and cover up hadn't fooled her. She would remember that cockney accent anywhere. Spike was at Dawn's apartment. Buffy panicked and threw the phone down.  
  
  
"What's wrong, sweetie?" Brandon asked concerned.  
  
  
"I have to get to Dawn. I think she might be in trouble." Buffy said as she opened the hall closet and pulled out her bad of slaying accessories.  
  
  
"What do you need that stuff for? Is there a vampire at Dawn's house?" Brandon knew all about Buffy's calling and was supportive. He also knew that she had given it up just before they met. It wasn't like her to break out the crosses and stakes, unless it was an emergency.  
  
  
"That's what I intend to find out." She said throwing her bag over her shoulder and heading out the door.  
  
  
"Be careful!" Brandon called out to her. Since he had known her, she had killed several vampires. Mostly just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But she had never gone out looking for them. She said that patrolling was best left to Amanda, the new Slayer. This sort of thing was unprecedented and Brandon hoped that she knew what she was doing.  
  
  
  
Dawn emerged from the shower to find Spike fully dressed and pacing around the bedroom.  
  
  
"Good morning, or should I say afternoon." She said coming up behind him and kissing his neck.  
  
  
Spike swung around to face her.  
  
  
"Buffy called. She's coming over." He said nervously.  
  
  
He knew that she was on her way. He sensed that she clearly recognized him and he knew that Buffy would be here any minute to make sure he wasn't violating her sister. Part of him was happy to see her again, and would gain some pleasure in rubbing her nose in the fact that he knew her sister intimately. But he was also a little scared. Buffy would probably not hesitate to stake him if she knew.  
  
  
"What? She's coming here? Why did you answer the phone? This isn't good." Dawn said throwing her robe down and rummaging through her closet.  
  
  
"I know! I didn't mean to. I forgot where I was. I tried to cover, but I know she recognized me." He said nervously lighting a cigarette.  
  
  
Dawn grabbed it out of his hand and took a long drag. She handed it back.  
  
  
"It's too soon. This wasn't how I planned it." Dawn said shaking her head.  
  
  
"Wait, you planned this?" Spike said with his anger mounting.  
  
  
"Well, not like this. I mean, as soon as I saw you last night, I knew my prayers had been answered. Everything was going to be perfect. I wanted Buffy to find out, but I had something better in mind. Like her wedding day." Dawn said with an evil grin.  
  
  
"Her wedding day? You wanted to spring this bit o' news on big sis at her wedding?" He couldn't believe his ears. Dawn was truly diabolical. Her rift with Buffy obviously ran deeper that he realized. He was beginning to love this girl.  
  
  
"Yes, why should she get to have the fairytale, when I get nothing, all because of her? Oh well, now I guess I'll just have to go with the flow." She said sighing. "Does this outfit look okay?" She asked modeling a red sundress.  
  
  
"Sure, looks great, Luv." He said absently. "Buffy is going to kill me, you realize?"  
  
  
"No she won't. She already killed one of my boyfriends, she'd never do it again. Not if I have anything to say about it." Dawn said bitterly.   
  
  
"Does she realize how much you despise her?" He asked.  
  
  
Dawn shook her head. "No. But she destroyed the only man I ever loved. How would you expect me to feel? She thinks I forgave her, but I can't. I want her to feel hurt like I did."  
  
  
"So that's what this is? Revenge? You're using me to get back at Buffy?" He asked incredulously.   
  
  
"Yes." She said quickly.   
  
  
Spike's expression faded into one of disappointment. He had actually thought Dawn had cared for him. He was stupid. He should have listened to himself when he decided to cut all ties to humans.  
  
  
Dawn noticed his fallen expression and felt guilty.  
  
  
"That's not what I mean, Spike. I do care about you and I have thought about you for years. The fact that Buffy would be hurt and angry was only a bonus. That wasn't all I was after. I want you." She said trying to explain.  
  
  
"Sure, Luv." He said still hurt by her admission.  
  
  
"I do, Spike, I swear. Last night wasn't just about revenge. It was about us. You and me. Together like I always imagined. Besides, you can't tell me you you're not feeling just a little bit excited by the fact Buffy is gonna flip over this." She smiled at him while taking his hands in her own.  
  
  
He had to admit that it was true. He nodded his head.  
  
  
"Well, I suppose it doesn't hurt…" He said still thinking about it.  
  
  
Just then, they heard a frantic pounding on the door.  
  
  
"Dawn!" They heard Buffy shouting in the hallway.  
  
  
"Right on cue." Dawn said rolling her eyes.  
  
  
She went to answer the door. She opened it abruptly and saw Buffy poised with a stake in her hand, ready for a fight.   
  
  
"Dawn!" She said, lowering the stake and embracing her sister. "My god, I thought you were in trouble. I called and I thought that someone was here…" She began rambling on, still clutching onto Dawn.  
  
  
"Someone like me, Slayer?" Spike asked with a smirk on his face, as he emerged from the bedroom.  
  
  
Buffy let go of Dawn and raised her stake again.  
  
  
"You. I knew it was you. What the hell do you think you're doing here? Trying to get to me, Spike? Forget it." She spat at him. Then turned to Dawn. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"  
  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes again and walked over to Spike and put her arms around him. She looked pointedly at Buffy and smiled.  
  
  
"Oh, he's over you, Buffy. Way over you. Isn't that right, Spike?" She said as she kissed him on the cheek and looked back over at Buffy.  
  
  
Spike couldn't contain his pleasure at watching Buffy's face turn into a mask of disgust and horror. He couldn't help himself. Maybe this would be fun after all. As long as she didn't kill him.  
  
  
Buffy charged over to where they were standing and raised her stake to Spike.  
  
  
"Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you right now? You're sickening. Taking advantage of my sister? You have really done it this time, Spike." She hissed at him.  
  
  
Spike just looked at her, unflinching. Dawn stepped between them.  
  
  
"Put your stake down, Buffy. Unless you want to kill someone else that I love." She said glaring at Buffy.  
  
  
Buffy lowered her stake and a tear sprung to her eye. Carlos. Why was Dawn bringing that up now? That was in the past. Besides, Dawn couldn't love Spike. That was insane.  
  
  
"What? Love? Spike?" Buffy's words tumbled out in confusion.  
  
  
"That's right, Buff, I love Spike. Maybe you never wanted him, but I did." She said with tears in her eyes.  
  
  
Spike put his arm around Dawn. Buffy shuddered at the sight.  
  
  
"Dawn, please. You can't love Spike. Why do you always have to be so self destructive? Why can't you just find a nice normal guy?" She asked with true concern over her sister.  
  
  
"Oh, what? Like Brandon? You don't really love him, Buffy. You just want to pretend that you're normal. He doesn't make you happy, not the way Angel did, and you know it." Dawn said angrily.  
  
  
"Stop it. Angel is gone. I don't even know where he is. I'm thirty years old Dawn, I want a family. Brandon can give me all the things I always wanted." She said defending herself. "Don't you want that too? Being with a vampire can only lead to heartache. There is no future. "  
  
  
"You're just saying that because Angel was cursed. Do you really think you wouldn't still be with him if he wasn't? See Spike doesn't have any limitations." She said smirking evilly at Buffy. "He proved that last night."  
  
  
Buffy reached back and slapped Dawn across the face, and gasped at her own actions.  
  
  
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Dawn." She said with tears in her eyes. "I didn't mean to…"  
  
  
She didn't know why she had done it, but Dawn had struck a raw nerve. And the thought of her baby sister doing unspeakable things with Spike made her nauseous.   
  
  
"Don't touch her." Spike said standing up to Buffy. He knew he couldn't hurt her, but at that moment, he wanted to.  
  
  
Dawn held her cheek and tried to soothe the sting caused by her sisters hand.  
  
  
Buffy began sobbing at her own actions.  
  
  
"Please, Dawn. I only want what's best for you. That's all I ever wanted. Spike is not good enough for you. I don't want you to ruin your life." She pleaded.  
  
  
"Just get out, Buffy." She told her.  
  
  
"I'm sorry, please…Don't do this Dawn." Buffy pleaded.  
  
  
"I can make my own decisions now, Buffy. I won't let you run Spike out of town again like last time. I want you to leave and I don't want to speak to you again!" Dawn screamed at her.  
  
  
Buffy turned and walked sadly out the door. She turned back imploringly one last time before Dawn slammed the door in her face.  
  
  
Dawn's hatred dissolved into despair. She broke down and cried in Spike's arms.  
  
  
"It's okay, Luv." He said, trying to soothe her.  
  
  
He had been hurt earlier by the notion that she may be using him to get back at her sister, but something inside of him couldn't help but feel affection for this girl.  
  
  
She was so lost and still so innocent, despite the confident, seductive face she had shown him last night. Here was a girl whose first fourteen years of life had been a complete lie. A figment of everyone's imagination. Now here she was, human and frail, trying desperately to avenge her lover's death against the sister that so obviously loved her.  
  
  
She was twenty-four, but in some ways she was much younger. Her first years weren't even real, she had had to start from scratch. Instead of living the life that was created for her by some nameless and faceless monks, she was desperately trying to create a new life. One where she was in control. She wanted a place in the world to call her own. Much like he did.   
  
  
"Sometimes, I just can't stand her." She sobbed into Spike's shirt.  
  
  
"I know, I feel the same way." He said softly to her. "But I think that she means well." He couldn't believe he was actually defending Buffy to Dawn, but he knew that Buffy thought she was doing the right thing, even if he didn't believe it himself.  
  
  
He wasn't going to hurt Dawn. He had always cared for her, and now that caring had turned to something deeper. He may still be soulless, but he was all too capable of emotions and love. And even though being good was a constant work in progress, he was nothing if not completely loyal to those he loved. And he was beginning to realize that he had fallen quickly and deeply in love with Dawn.  
  
  
He had always been foolish in the ways of the heart. It didn't take him long to fall in love but unfortunately it took much longer to fall out. He silently cursed himself for letting Dawn into his heart so hastily, and only hoped that she truly felt the same. He couldn't bear the thought of being used.  
  
  
"So what did you think of her, Spike? Is she the same as you expected?" She asked wiping her eyes and jostling him out of deep thought.  
  
  
"She seemed like the same girl I remember, only a little older." He said thinking of Buffy now. Seeing her had still been unsettling, even though he had prepared himself for it.  
  
  
She still had the same stubborn personality and fierce hatred of him, that much was obvious. But her looks had not faded or changed much. She wore her hair a little shorter than the last time he saw her. More like it was when he first met her. Her clothes were the biggest change.  
  
  
At thirty, he supposed she was trying to achieve a more mature look. Gone were the mini skirts and funky tops. She wore a reserved white shirt with black slacks. He had to admit that on her, anything looked good.  
  
  
"You still love her, don't you?" Dawn asked him as she pulled away and sat down on the sofa. She took a cigarette out of Spike's jacket that was lying next to her, and lit it up.  
  
  
Spike thought about it for a moment and sighed as he sat down next to her.  
  
  
"I thought I did, I mean, honestly, I have never stopped thinking about her. But, seeing her today…I just don't know." He said seriously.  
  
  
"That's okay if you do." She said taking along drag off her cigarette. "Everybody always loved Buffy. Carlos was the first person who didn't care about her at all. When I walked into a room, he couldn't see anyone else but me. If it wasn't for her, I'd still have that." She said sadly.  
  
  
Spike looked at her tenderly. He smiled and brushed her hair out of her face.  
  
  
"You know, when Buffy walked in here today, I thought I would go mad. I expected all the feelings I had carried with me for so long, to consume me again. But you know what?" He said to her.  
  
  
"What?" She asked unhappily, not wishing to hear another glowing recount of Buffy's many charms.  
  
  
"I couldn't see anyone but you." He told her.  
  
  
Another tear came to her eye and she smiled at him.  
  
  
"Oh, Spike…" She said kissing him gently.  
  
  
"Carlos was a lucky man." He told her and she smiled. "So, Luv, how long were you with him?"   
  
  
"Almost four years. I was seventeen when we met, and Buffy found out soon after, that he was a vampire. She forbid me to see him, but I didn't listen to her. We did everything in secret. He was the one who picked out most of this furniture and stuff. This was our home. That's why I have such heavy drapes." She smiled at the memory.  
  
  
Spike smiled at her. It explained a lot about the décor. He also understood fully why there was no love lost between her and Buffy. Four years was a long time for a mortal. He knew that their relationship had been no passing fling.  
  
  
"I think Buffy still knew that we were seeing each other. She pretended that she didn't, and when she came over, Carlos hid in the closet. It was really stupid actually, but one day, Buffy stopped by unannounced and went to the fridge for a coke. She saw the blood in there and freaked out. That's when she knew I had been lying to her. But I was twenty by that time, there wasn't anything she could do." Dawn told him as she recalled Buffy's hysterical tirade over the whole situation.  
  
  
"That must have been quite an event when she found out." Spike chuckled.  
  
  
"It was." Dawn said smiling slightly. She took another drag off her cigarette before she ground it out in the ashtray. "For the longest time, I really believed that she killed him on purpose. But she was so shaken up about the whole thing, eventually I guess I believed her."  
  
  
"But you never forgave her." He said.  
  
  
"No. I couldn't. I still can't." She said firmly.  
  
  
They sat there together holding hands in silence. Neither one knowing just what to say anymore. Both were just taking comfort in each others presence.  



	4. Chapter Four

~ Belonging ~ Chapter 4 ~  
  
  
  
Buffy drove home slowly. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and tried to keep her mind on the road. What was she going to do about Dawn? That girl had driven her mad for years.  
  
  
After their mother died, Buffy took over as friend, sister and mother to Dawn. She had never dreamed it would be as difficult as it was. Dawn was a very defiant girl who had clear ideas of what she wanted and no one was going to stop her. She was completely stubborn.  
  
  
Just like, she was, Buffy supposed. But Buffy had tried to do her best. The whole thing with Carlos had been a fiasco. She didn't want Dawn involved with a vampire, harmless or not, but she never intended to kill him. That whole thing had been a horrible accident.  
  
  
She came across the scene while on patrol. Two vampires were struggling with a woman in the park. She ran over and grabbed the first vampire and dusted him. The other vampire turned around and she immediately plunged her stake in.  
  
  
Instantaneously she recognized him as Carlos, but it was too late. He was gone. She would be haunted forever by the dismayed look on his face when he realized who his executioner was.   
  
  
She had learned from the stunned and horrified woman, that Carlos had been helping to pull the crazed mugger off of her. The woman was so traumatized she didn't even know what had happened.  
  
  
Buffy had no idea what to tell Dawn, and when the moment arrived it was every bit as gut wrenching and horrible as she imagined. Dawn despised her and wished her dead. Buffy cried for Dawn and for herself. It had been a very rough time.  
  
  
They had not been as close since then, but Buffy felt that Dawn had forgiven her. Buffy, however, had not forgiven herself. She gave up slaying on that night. A new Slayer had been called a year before, and she realized that it was time to quit. The duty had gotten to be too much for her. The lines between good and evil were beginning to blur and she no longer wanted to be the one making snap decisions.  
  
  
  
She pulled into her driveway and slowly walked up to the house. Brandon was waiting for her anxiously.  
  
  
"Sweetie, are you alright? Was Dawn okay?" He asked full of concern.  
  
  
"Dawn is fine. Listen, I just need to lie down." She said, not wanting to talk to anyone right now.  
  
  
He let her go up the stairs and watched her disappear into their bedroom.  
  
  
Buffy took off her shoes and crawled into her bed. Seeing Spike again had brought up too many memories. She remembered his odd obsession with her and how uncomfortable it had made her.  
  
  
She had pushed him away, but he had ended up helping her with Glory in the end. He risked his own safety saving Dawn and the whole world from destruction. She had wanted to thank him for helping, but she just couldn't bring herself to say the words.  
  
  
He approached her and she had walked away from him without a word. She feared that if she told him she was grateful, he would take it as some sort of doorway to her heart. She thought it best that he never know that she cared about him at all. And she had cared.  
  
  
That was the worst part about it all. She had cared for Spike, even after all the crazy things he had done. Constructing a replica of herself, to satisfy his obsession. That was truly the most disturbing thing she had ever seen. But in the end, it served as a wonderful decoy in the final showdown with Glory.  
  
  
Yes, she had cared for him and hated herself for it. It wasn't love, not the way he wanted it to be, but it wasn't the blind hatred that she pretended either. It was more like friendship and respect for the way he fought. They were perfectly matched as enemies and made a formidable team when fighting together. And yet she would never admit it to him or anyone else.  
  
  
Now, he was with her sister. He was clearly using Dawn as a way to torment her. Buffy had assumed that he was long since dusted by someone. Knowing that he was back was almost too much for Buffy to handle. She curled up into a ball and cried.  
  
  
  
  
The sun had gone down and Spike was anxious to get out of Dawn's apartment. She had gone to work earlier and he needed some fresh air, and he needed blood. Dawn told him about an underground club called the Dungeon that had opened about six years ago. Carlos had been a regular there. It was owned by one of the other vampires that had been victim of the Initiative.  
  
  
He headed out alone. Dawn was still at work, and she had made him promise to meet her at the Magic Box at nine when she closed up. He wasn't sure he was looking forward to seeing Giles again. He knew he would be less than enthused to learn he was back and keeping company with his youngest surrogate daughter. But Dawn insisted.   
  
  
He made his way to the spot that Dawn told him about and walked in. It looked like a dump. And from the name, he expected something trashy and full of creep factor. But when he walked inside he was surprised by what he found. The place was classy and not at all like he pictured. That dive, Willie's, was a trash heap compared to this. On the outside, this place looked like an abandoned warehouse, but on the inside, it was decorated like some sort of first class speakeasy that he had frequented in the 1920's.  
  
  
He moved through the crowd of vampires and various demons, all dressed nicely. He went up to the bar and sat down. The bartender approached him. Spike ordered a Bloody Mary, with real blood. This place was very nice, he thought. Better than any of the other places he'd been.  
  
  
When he was in LA, he had gone to Caritas a lot. It was okay, but Spike couldn't stand the intrusion of the karaoke singing. Most of those bloody fools were terrible. This place had nice soothing piano music played by blue demon in a zoot suit.  
  
  
He had a couple of drinks and decided it was getting late and headed out. He realized with some apprehension that he was walking right through Buffy's neighborhood. He knew that she still lived there and was more than tempted to drop in on her. But he figured it would be a stupid move. Of course, that had never stopped him before.  
  
  
He walked up to her house tentatively. He knew that somebody was home, because the lights were on and he could hear television through the open window in front. It might have been Brandon, her fiancé, or it could have been her, he didn't know but it was worth a shot.   
  
  
He knocked firmly on the door. He heard the sounds of the television going off and someone walking towards the door. The locked clicked open and the door swung open. She stood before him.  
  
  
"Hello, Luv. We meet again." He said full of arrogance that he didn't really feel, but he wanted to appear cocky as usual for her.  
  
  
"What are you doing here? Haven't you caused enough trouble already?" She said aggravated by his presence at her house.  
  
  
"Well, that's not happiness to see me, Luv, is it?" He said with a smile. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"  
  
  
"Why should I? Just leave now. You have some nerve coming here." She spat at him.  
  
  
"Look, we need to talk and I'm not leaving until we do. We can have it out right here on the porch if that's what you want, but I'd rather do it in there, where the whole world won't be listening." He told her.  
  
  
She stared at him venomously. He never failed to get under her skin. She moved away from the door and motioned him in.  
  
  
He laughed and said, "You're gonna have to do better than that Luv, and you know it."  
  
  
"Fine, come in, but don't for one minute think that this is a permanent invitation. As soon as you leave, the spell goes back." She said with resolve.  
  
  
"Whatever you say." He told her as he walked in.  
  
  
He looked around and noticed that the appearance had not changed much at all from when Joyce ran this place. Buffy must have wanted to keep her memory alive, he figured.  
  
  
"So is Brandon here?" He asked sarcastically.  
  
  
"No, he has bowling league tonight." She said as she sat down on the couch.  
  
  
Spike laughed at that. "Bowling league? Oh, Buffy, that's just…Well, so wholesome. What a great catch he is, Luv." He said making fun of him.  
  
  
"Shut up. So what if he's wholesome? At least he's alive and not a walking corpse like you." She said angrily.  
  
  
"Come on, you can't be happy with this guy. I know what you need, and it's not that." He said to her.  
  
  
"You always thought you knew me so well, didn't you? Well, you didn't and you still don't. I happen to be very happy. Brandon is a good man and he loves me. He may not be exciting and mysterious, but he's what I've always wanted. I am through with falling for the wrong guys, the ones who only make me miserable. I want a real life, I want kids. Brandon and I are going to be happy." She said knowing that she shouldn't have to defend herself to him, but something about him always made her crazy.  
  
  
"Whatever you say." He told her.  
  
  
"Listen, forget about Brandon for a second. I want to know what is going on with Dawn. Why did you come back here? Whatever sick game you are playing, it ends now. I want you to stay away from her." She said trying to get her thoughts back on track.  
  
  
"I'm not playing any games." He said.  
  
  
"Well, then what is this? Hmm? You just happened to come back here and just happened to end up in the arms of my sister? Like you didn't plan this." She said getting up and pacing the room.  
  
  
"I didn't plan anything." He said getting angry.  
  
  
"Look, whatever it is that you think is going on between us, leave Dawn out of it. She's fragile and she doesn't need you using her as some twisted way to get back at me."  
  
  
"Is that what you think? You think this is my game? My revenge? Think again, pet. Dawn is the one with the grudge, not me. Sure, I came back to Sunnydale because of you. I couldn't help it. I wanted to see you. Dawn never even occurred to me. She was one who sought me out, she took me back to her place and if anyone is being used, it's probably me. Don't you get it yet?" He said getting in her face.  
  
  
Buffy tried to stifle her tears.  
  
  
"That's not true. Dawn is my sister. She loves me." She said sadly.  
  
  
"Yes, but you are also the Slayer that murdered her boyfriend in cold blood, remember?" He said his temper flaring.  
  
  
Buffy quickly punched him across the face as hard as she could. He went flying backward and flipped over the couch. She stood there watching as he groaned. He stood up holding his nose.  
  
  
"Bloody hell, Slayer. I've forgotten how tough you are, especially when you're pissed." He told her.  
  
  
"Well, consider that a reminder and there's more where that came from if you don't get the hell out of my house." She said with tears in her eyes. His words had ripped right through her, especially once she realized the truth behind them.  
  
  
"Truth is a bitch, isn't it?" He said wiping blood from his nose.   
  
  
"Get out." She said loudly.  
  
  
"Fine, it's just about time to meet Dawnie at the magic shop anyway." He said with a smile.  
  
  
"Stay away from her."  
  
  
"I don't think so, Luv. See, Dawn and I have something special. You wouldn't understand." He said told her.  
  
  
"No, that's not true." She said wishing she could believe it.  
  
  
"You know we always had something special, Dawn and I. She was the only person who treated me kindly. Did you know that it was me she turned to when your mum died? Did you know that she defied you and came to visit me long after you forbid her to?"  
  
  
"She did not. She wouldn't have done that. God, if you touched her…" She said feeling her rage building.  
  
  
"Relax, Slayer. I'm not a bloody pervert. She was just a kid. But that was ten years ago. She's a woman now. A beautiful, single, woman that seems very interested in me. I'm not about to give that up, not just because you say so." He told her as he walked to the door.  
  
  
"If you hurt her, or break her heart, I swear to God, I will rip you apart limb from limb."   
  
  
"I won't." He said as he stepped outside. He looked back over his shoulder. "Give Brandon my regards."  
  
  
She only slammed the door in his face. She watched as he walked away from the house and headed in the direction of the Magic Box.  
  
  
She sat back down on the couch and stared off into space. Dawn hated her. She couldn't blame her, though. It had been three years since the incident, and she had tried to put it behind her. She thought that they had gotten past it, but it was obvious that Dawn still harbored ill feelings towards her.  
  
  
Buffy only wanted to make things right. Her sister was the only family she had left. A few years ago, their father died. It hadn't hit nearly as hard as when their mother died. He had never been there anyway. After Joyce died, he didn't even bother to try and get custody of Dawn. Not that Buffy would have allowed it, but he barely cared enough to visit his motherless daughters, much less take on responsibility.   
  
  
Dawn was all she had left, and somehow, someway, she had to make things right with her. Her wedding was only two months away and she wanted to remember it as the happiest day of her life. She didn't want bad blood between Dawn and her to spoil everything. She wanted her sister back. She had to talk to her.  



	5. Chapter Five

~Belonging ~ Chapter 5~  
  
  
  
Spike walked to the Magic Box. He had glanced at the clock in Buffy's house and realized that it was ten minutes to nine already. He figured he'd better hurry.  
  
  
As he approached the building, he actually felt himself getting nervous. The last time he was there, he was thrown out by none other than Giles himself. He wasn't looking forward to a repeat performance. He only hoped that Dawn had informed Giles that he was coming.  
  
  
He noticed the closed sign in the window and knocked lightly on the door. He heard Dawn come running to greet him.  
  
  
"Hey! You're right on time. You get points for punctuality." She smiled.  
  
  
She ushered him into the store. He walked in and gazed around. The place had been remodeled and looked very nice.  
  
  
"So, Luv, can we go now?" He said nervously.  
  
  
"Not yet. There's someone here that insists on seeing you." She said with a smile.  
  
  
Spike sighed, expecting a confrontation.  
  
  
"Look, I don't want to cause any trouble between you and Giles." He started to tell her.  
  
  
"Relax. I already told him you were back and with a little convincing, he was cool with it. See, Giles is different. He believes that people deserve a second chance. Plus, he's like a father to me. He'll do just about anything to make me happy. Trust me." She said trying to be reassuring.  
  
  
"She's right, Spike. I would do anything to ensure her happiness. And if she wishes to keep company with the likes of you, then I shall allow it, but do not expect me to be pleased." Giles said as he emerged from the back room of the store.  
  
  
"Giles…Nice to see you again." Spike said trying to be nice when he was really uncomfortable.  
  
  
"Yes, well, I wish I could say the same." He responded with sarcasm.  
  
  
"Giles…." Dawn interjected. "Remember, you promised to be nice."  
  
  
"Yes, well…Good to see you, then." He said quietly and without enthusiasm.  
  
  
"Can we go now, pet?" Spike whispered to Dawn.  
  
  
"Sure. Let me go get my purse."  
  
  
Spike stood there shuffling his feet back and forth as he glanced nervously around the room. He desperately tried to avoid eye contact with Giles.  
  
  
Giles approached him and leaned in close to him.  
  
  
"Listen to me, Spike, and listen good. Just because I am not throwing you out of here, does not mean I approve of whatever this is with Dawn. As you may have noticed, she is quite the headstrong girl, much like Buffy was, and considering that, I realize that she will do as she wishes, with or without my blessing. But if you hurt her in any way, or cause trouble for any of us, you will have to answer to me. Is that clear?" Giles spoke softly and firmly dripping with malice.  
  
  
"Perfectly. Now, you listen to me. I care about Dawn, and I would never hurt her. I never have and I never will. Is that clear?" Spike told him.  
  
  
"Fine then, we understand each other. Just know that I will be watching you." Giles said backing off and trying to compose himself.  
  
  
"Let's go!" Dawn said breezing back into the room with her purse and keys. "Bye Giles, see you tomorrow!" She said as she kissed him on the cheek.  
  
  
Giles beamed at Dawn and you could see the love that he felt for her, even though he was clearly dismayed at her choices. Spike nodded politely at Giles and he returned the gesture. They had come to an uneasy understanding, and that was probably as good as it would get between them. But it was good enough for now.  
  
  
  
The next month went by quickly. Spike and Dawn were learning more about each other everyday. They talked long hours into the night and grew closer than they ever were before.  
  
  
Spike had urged her to talk to her sister and try and work things out, but she wouldn't. She had informed Buffy that she would not be attending her wedding and that she would have to find another maid of honor. Buffy had been devastated, and pleaded with her to try and work things out.  
  
  
Spike hated seeing these sisters fighting. He had now come to fully realize that he was no longer in love with Buffy. That part of his life was in the past. He did still care for her, that much was true, but Dawn had captured his heart completely. He could think of little else besides her.  
  
  
He no longer wished for anything when he was with Dawn. For the first time in his entire life, he had everything that he wanted. The only thing that was missing was that he wished for Dawn and Buffy to make up. Neither of them was truly happy without the other in their life. He decided it was time to take action. If he could get the two of them back together, maybe he would win a few points with Buffy.  
  
  
It wasn't as if he lived to please her anymore. It wasn't like before. But he did want Buffy to accept him as a part of Dawn's life. If he could prove to her and everyone else that he had truly changed, maybe there would be hope for him yet.  
  
  
One night, Dawn went out to the Bronze with some of her friends. She urged Spike to come along, but he refused saying that he wanted to meet some of the friends he had made at the Dungeon. He hated lying to her, but it was really for the best.  
  
  
He made his way to the magic shop. He figured that they would be just closing up and it would be a good time to pay a visit to Giles. Dawn had the night off and he suspected that Giles would be alone. He was right.  
  
  
He walked into the store and Giles didn't look up from the receipts that he was tallying.  
  
  
"I'm sorry, we are closing right now." He said.  
  
  
"That's okay, I'm not here to buy anything." Spike said with a smile.  
  
  
"What do you want? Dawn is not here, Spike." Giles said with some irritation. He had chosen to allow their relationship to continue without interference, but he still was not pleased.  
  
  
"I know that. That's why I'm here. We need to talk." Spike said as he sat down at one of the reading tables.  
  
  
"About what? You wish to catch up on old times, is that it?" Giles said with mockery.  
  
  
"Right, so have you seen Passions lately? It's been getting really good." He said with a laugh.  
  
  
"It is getting quite good, isn't it?" He said before he realized what he was admitting to. "I mean, I wouldn't know. I haven't watched that drivel since you and I stopped being flatmates."  
  
  
"It's okay, Giles, nothing to be ashamed of." Spike laughed, then turned serious. "But really, I didn't come here to catch up on the soaps. This is about Dawn and Buffy."   
  
  
"What about them? Has something happened?" He asked suddenly concerned.  
  
  
"You could say that. Haven't you noticed that they aren't speaking to each other? Dawn isn't even going to be in the wedding."  
  
  
Giles sighed and sat down across from Spike.  
  
  
"Yes, I do realize that. I have tried speaking to them and neither will listen to me. Buffy is just beside herself over this, but Dawn is being stubborn as usual." He told him despairingly.  
  
  
"I know, but see, I figure if we can get them alone, you know, force them to be in the same room with each other, they have to work things out." Spike explained.  
  
  
"And how do you propose we do that?"  
  
  
"Well, that's why I'm here. I have an idea, but I need your help. If there is one thing I know they both agree on, it's you. They both love you. If you were to pretend that you were in some sort of trouble, they would both come running." Spike explained his plan.  
  
  
"So you want me to pretend to be in peril just trick them?" Giles said, not becoming convinced.  
  
  
"Yes, but it isn't as bad as it sounds. You just need to make a few distress calls, we get them both here and into that back room that used to be the training room, and lock the doors. We don't let them out until they have had it out and made up." Spike said with a smile.  
  
  
"I'm not sure I like the idea of tricking them." Giles said shaking his head.  
  
  
"Come on. Do you have a better idea?"  
  
  
"No, not really. But, locking them in? Buffy will surely not be pleased."  
  
  
"No, but that isn't the point. She wants to make up with Dawn, doesn't she? She'll understand, and so will Dawn. Eventually anyway. So are you in?" Spike asked eagerly.  
  
  
"I don't know…"  
  
  
"Buffy is getting married in a month. Don't you want your girls back together before then?" He asked.  
  
  
Giles thought for a moment, then nodded his head.  
  
  
"Very well, Spike. I will do it. But if it turns out badly, remember it was all your idea." He said with a faint smile.  
  
  
Giles had been torn apart when the sisters began having trouble. Everything had gone downhill since the unfortunate incident with Carlos. He had thoroughly believed Dawn had forgiven Buffy, but it was apparent now that she had not.  
  
  
He should have realized that she was distant from her, all the while pretending to put on a happy face. Things had come to a head again when Spike showed up and he supposed he had to give him some sort of credit, for trying to make things right.  
  
  
Giles had been like a father to both Buffy and Dawn after their mother died. He loved and cared for them as if they were his flesh and blood. He had never married and never had children of his own. He was in his late fifties now and supposed that he never would have a family of his own.  
  
  
He was dating a beautiful woman that Willow had introduced him to. She was a Wiccan High Priestess. They had an enormous amount of fun together, and she reminded him a little of Jenny, whom he had loved and lost so long ago. He supposed marriage was not out of the question, but seeing as they both were getting on in years, children would never be part of the equation.  
  
  
He had only hoped that Spike's plan would work, and the girls he loved as daughters would reunite.   
  



	6. Chapter Six

~Belonging ~ Chapter 6~  
  
  
Two days had passed since Spike and Giles had spoken. They had made plans as to when the incident would take place. They decided that they needed to get the ball rolling quickly if everything were to be made right by the wedding day.  
  
  
Dawn had the evening off and Spike told her yet again that he was going out with friends. She seemed a little disappointed that he didn't want to spend the evening with her, and she pouted about it. He promised her he would make it up to her.  
  
  
Buffy sat alone at her house watching television again. Brandon was with his bowling friends and on Tuesday nights she often sat down to watch her favorite shows.  
  
  
She had never been much for TV in the past. Most of her evenings were usually spent patrolling and fighting evil. But since she had retired, she found comfort and joy in the normalcy of her life.  
  
  
Brandon had made good money and she was enjoying playing housewife to him. It was a life she never dreamed she would achieve or live to achieve anyway. For once she had found peace with her life.  
  
  
When the phone rang, she casually reached over to grab it. It was probably Brandon telling her that he had just gotten a strike or something. He was always doing silly things like that.  
  
  
"Hello?"  
  
  
"Buffy, thank god you're home. You must come quickly. There are vampires in the shop. Please hurry." Giles said frantically into the phone.  
  
  
Buffy's heart jumped into her throat.  
  
  
"I'll be right down. Don't move, just hold them off until I get there." She said anxiously slamming down the phone.  
  
  
She grabbed her bag from the hall closet and ran out the door. She jumped into her car and sped off.  
  
  
Her heart pounded furiously in her chest. She could not lose him. She would die rather than lose him. Giles meant the world to her and she could not imagine life without him. She couldn't bear to think of harm coming to him. She wiped a tear from her eye and pressed the gas pedal down to the floor.  
  
  
Giles replaced the receiver after delivering a similar phone call to Dawn. He instantly felt remorseful for making them worry for nothing, but he knew it would be for the best, just as Spike told him.  
  
  
"I do hate this idea more and more, Spike." He said turning to him.  
  
  
"I know, but if it works, they'll forgive you…and me, I hope." He said.  
  
  
  
Dawn and Buffy reached the shop together. They were startled to see each other, but both were too preoccupied with Giles' safety to resume their feud.  
  
  
"Here Dawn, take this." Buffy said handing her a stake. "Try to stay out of trouble and don't fight unless you have to." Buffy explained to her.  
  
  
"I can take care of myself, Buffy." Dawn said becoming irritated. Buffy never stopped treating her like a child.  
  
  
"Fine. Be careful." Buffy said, rolling her eyes as they walked through the unlocked entrance.  
  
  
They found the front room dark and empty. Buffy cautiously peered around.  
  
  
"Giles?" She said hoping he was still here and able to answer.  
  
  
Dawn was starting to cry and become panicked.  
  
  
"Oh god…Where is he?" She said as she looked around.  
  
  
"I don't see any signs of a struggle." Buffy said perplexed.  
  
  
"Help! I'm back here!" They heard Giles cry out.  
  
  
They both raced to where the voice came from and found themselves in the old training room. It was filled with boxes on one side, but most of the old equipment was still in place. Buffy used it occasionally just to work out and keep her strength up.  
  
  
"Giles?" They both called out.  
  
  
Just then the door slammed shut, and they heard a lock clicking into place.  
  
  
Dawn panicked. "What's happening? Buffy, I'm scared. Where's Giles?"  
  
  
"I don't know, but I don't like this." She said going to door and trying to open it. "It's locked…Giles!!" She yelled.  
  
  
"Relax Buffy." She heard Giles voice on the other side of the door. "This is for your own good. I'm so sorry that I tricked you, but this was the only way." He tried to explain through the heavy door.  
  
  
"What? What the hell is going on? Are you okay, Giles?Your phone call...You said their were vampires here." She said confused by what was going on.  
  
  
"I know what I said Buffy, but I'm perfectly fine. I do apologize for deceiving you, but we wanted you two to spend some time alone, and work things out. I hope you understand." He said wondering if he had made a huge mistake.  
  
  
"We?" Buffy asked.  
  
  
"Yes, well, Spike and I." Giles said.  
  
  
"Hello, girls." Spike said through the door.  
  
  
"Spike! Let me out of here!" Dawn yelled as she pushed Buffy out of the way and began pounding on the door.  
  
  
"Sorry, pet. Not until you and sis work things out." He said calmly.  
  
  
"This is ridiculous!You both are so gonna pay for this!" Dawn screeched angrily. The last thing she wanted was to be locked in some musty room with Buffy.  
  
  
Buffy only relaxed her rigid stance and moved away from the door. She appreciated what they were trying to do, but she doubted that Dawn would have any of it.  
  
  
"We'll see you in the morning." Giles said.  
  
  
  
Spike and Giles then turned and walked out into the front of the store. They sat down at the table. Giles held his head in his hands and tried to soothe away the pounding headache that began to plague him.  
  
  
"It'll work. Trust me." Spike said, hoping it was true.  
  
  
Giles scratched his head thoughtfully.  
  
  
"Do you suppose we should have taken their weapons first?" He asked only half joking.  
  
  
Spike smiled at him and shook his head.  
  
  
"They'll be fine." He said reassuringly. He sure hoped that Dawn wasn't going to be too angry with him. He was only trying to do the right thing, but somehow what seemed right to him, had a tendency to backfire.  
  
  
Giles got up and retrieved a bottle of scotch from under the counter. He grabbed two glasses and poured one for each of them.  
  
  
"To sisterly love..." Giles said raising his glass. "Dear god, help us all..." He muttered under his breath as he took a long swallow.  
  
  
  
At first, the girls sat on opposite sides of the room, saying nothing. Dawn had tried to break the door down, but only ended up hurting her arm in the process.   
  
  
Buffy knew that she probably could have done the job herself, but didn't want to. She actually wanted to be there with Dawn. She wanted to make things right. She was still reeling from the fact that Giles and Spike had planned this little charade, but she supposed that she could forgive Giles for scaring her half to death. She wondered what Spike had to gain by all of this. Buffy figured he couldn't care less whether Dawn hated her or not. Maybe he had changed a little, she thought.  
  
  
Buffy broke the silence first. "Dawn, listen, I know this is insane, but we do need to talk."  
  
  
"I don't have anything to say." She said defiantly.  
  
  
"Come on. Please talk to me. What more can I say to you? How many times do I have to say sorry? I thought we were past all of this." Buffy pleaded.  
  
  
"Right. Everything has just been peachy for the last three years. You killed Carlos, and expected me to just say 'That's okay' and move on? I loved him and you tried to keep us apart. When that didn't work, you killed him." Dawn said with tears in her eyes.  
  
  
Buffy tried to stifle the sob that was rising in her throat.  
  
  
"That wasn't the way it happened. It was an accident. I told you…" She said getting choked up.  
  
  
"Was it? I mean, it was awfully convenient that you just happened to accidentally kill my boyfriend that you hated. Buffy, we had a life together. You just couldn't see that. You refused to see past your moral judgements and accept that he was good, even without a soul." Dawn cried burying her face in her hands.  
  
  
Buffy moved over to her and tried to put her arms around her. Dawn shrugged her off.  
  
  
"Please, I swear I never meant for that to happen. I never would have done that on purpose. I knew you loved him. Yes, I didn't approve or understand, but I knew he meant everything to you. You have no idea what I felt when I realized who I had killed. Why do you think I gave up slaying? Because I was bored? No, it was because I couldn't do it anymore. That night, I realized that I just couldn't do it anymore. If I could switch places with him right now, I would. Would you be satisfied then?" Buffy cried as she fell to her knees.  
  
  
Dawn looked over at her through her tears. She felt a sudden wave of compassion envelop her. She had never really allowed herself to notice that Buffy was hurting too. She tried to push away her feelings and retrieve the anger that she had grown so used to.  
  
  
"Buffy…You know I don't want you to trade places with him it's just...I just can't forgive you…" She said softly.  
  
  
Buffy looked up at her and tried to compose herself.  
  
  
"You know, I guess I don't blame you. I never forgave myself either." She said softly.  
  
  
Dawn watched as her sister dissolved once more into tears. She tried to harden her heart, but found that it was more difficult than it had been in the past. She reached out and touched her hair. Buffy looked up at her.  
  
  
"Dawn,you know I love you, you are my sister. Everything I have done has been for you. To protect you. Please…"  
  
  
Dawn tried to keep a stiff upper lip, but quickly lost her resolve. She lunged forward and took Buffy into her arms tightly.  
  
  
"Oh, Buffy, I love you too. I have missed you so much. I just couldn't get over it. I tried, but I couldn't." She sobbed.  
  
  
Buffy stroked her hair and tried to soothe her.  
  
  
"It's okay." Buffy said softly into her hair.  
  
  
"I thought I could move on, but it was so hard." Dawn cried. "And then, Spike showed up and I thought you would make him leave too."  
  
  
"Oh, Dawn... Can we start over? I swear I won't try to run your life anymore and even though I can't change what happened in the past, let me try and make things right again." Buffy told her.  
  
  
"But what about Spike? I know you hate him. Can you accept him as part of my life? Because if you can't, then…" Dawn asked pulling away to face her once more.  
  
  
Buffy sighed and nodded her head.  
  
  
"Yes, Dawn. I will accept Spike. But are you sure that's what you want though? I mean, Dawn, he's a vampire. What about your future? Marriage and children?" She asked only wanting a normal happy life for her sister.  
  
  
"Yes, it's what I want. I don't care about children Buffy. That was always your thing. I'll be fine just being an aunt. And marriage...well, we can still get married. Remember that time when you were going to marry Spike?" Dawn said with a laugh.  
  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes and shook her head at the memory of Willow's misguided spell.  
  
  
"Agh! I'd rather not think of that, thank you very much." She smiled then turned serious again. "Are you sure you really love him, Dawn?"  
  
  
"Yes. I have always loved him, Buffy. I never cared what he was. I was just a kid when he left, but I always hoped that he would come back and that maybe he would want me. When I saw him again, I knew that it was meant to be." Dawn said with an exuberant smile. "You know, I never stopped seeing him even when you told me not to."  
  
  
"Yeah, I know. He told me." She smiled.  
  
  
"Wait, you guys talked?"  
  
  
"Yeah. It's a long story. Anyway…Look, as much as it pains me to say this, I don't actually hate him, and I never really did. I just wasn't prepared for him to fall in love with me. It was just freaky and I didn't want to encourage it." She said softly, knowing she should have admitted this long ago.  
  
  
"You don't hate him?"  
  
  
"No, in fact he can be kind of funny, yet incredibly annoying. And I will admit that he is slightly attractive, with those eyes and those cheekbones…" Buffy said with a smile.  
  
  
"Slightly attractive? He's gorgeous, Buffy! But you better back off. You had your chance, sister. Now he's mine." Dawn teased her.  
  
  
"Okay, okay, I won't steal him." She laughed. "Besides, I have Brandon, remember?"  
  
  
"Of course. Um, sorry about all the bad things I said about him." She said sheepishly.  
  
  
"It's okay. He is a little dull, I know that. But I do love him and we are going to be happy. In fact, I want you to be the first to know…" Buffy said excitedly.  
  
  
"What?" Dawn said expectantly.  
  
  
"Well, you said you wanted to be an aunt...I'm pregnant!" Buffy beamed.  
  
  
Dawn embraced Buffy tightly and was truly happy for her. The sisters sat in that room all night talking and reminiscing about the good times. They each agreed to put the past behind them and move on, for real this time. All the painful memories were banished.  
  
  
Dawn had finally softened her hard tone and realized that she had held her grudge for far too long. Buffy hadn't meant to hurt her, and Dawn finally accepted that. Their reunion was a long time coming and both were just happy that they could finally start over.  
  
  
When Giles opened the door the next morning he hoped he wouldn't find both girls in pieces. He was surprised and gratified to find them asleep in each others arms. A tear sprang to his eye at the sight. Everything was going to be allright.  



	7. Chapter Seven:Conclusion

~Belonging ~ Chapter 7~ Final ~  
  
  
  
  
The next few weeks passed by quickly in preparation for the wedding. Dawn was back as maid of honor and Buffy had agreed to let Spike attend.  
  
  
She had spoken with him again and they had come to an understanding. Buffy admitted that she didn't hate him any longer, but that he better treat Dawn right or he would have to answer to her. He accepted that. He understood that Dawn was cherished by everyone that knew her, and if he stepped out of line, there was a barrage of people ready to kick his ass, Buffy would be first in line.  
  
  
He had also assured Buffy that he was over her once and for all. It may have taken ten years but Dawn had changed everything. He still thought that Brandon was not the right man for Buffy, but he had met him and thought he was nice enough and would treat her right, so he kept his mouth shut.  
  
  
The day of the wedding ended up being cloudy so Spike was able to come and go as a normal guest. He had planned to have Dawn sneak him into the chapel under a blanket, but it wasn't necessary.  
  
  
All of Buffy's old friends were there. He saw Xander and Anya with two of their three kids. They had left the baby at their hotel with a sitter. They had come down for a week to visit with Buffy before the wedding.  
  
  
Willow was there with her girlfriend. They made a striking pair, two beautiful redheads clearly in love with one another. Spike smiled at them as he took his seat.  
  
  
In the last few weeks he had spent a lot of time with them. Willow had always been a sweet girl, Spike thought, and she was quicker to accept him than Xander had been. He was a tough sell, but had come around.  
  
  
He spied Giles' girlfriend sitting with Willow. He knew from Dawn that Giles was intending to ask her to marry him. He waved at them casually.  
  
  
The music began to start and everyone rose to watch the bridesmaids begin their march.  
  
  
He spotted Dawn coming out first, a vision in lavender lace. Her hair swept up and tiny flowers intertwined in it. He smiled proudly at her and she blew him a kiss as she walked past.  
  
  
The bride's song began to play and Buffy emerged on Giles' arm. He beamed proudly at his surrogate daughter. Spike was in awe of how beautiful she looked. Not as striking as Dawn had become, but beautiful none the less.  
  
  
She marched past him and everyone sat down. The ceremony began. It was a nice, short, but meaningful ceremony. Buffy had never looked happier and Spike knew that she was already with child. He hoped for her sake that she would be happy with this normal life she had chosen.  
  
  
After the ceremony everyone shuffled off to the reception that was in an adjacent hall. Spike hung back and watched everyone as their pictures were taken. He sipped his champagne quietly in the corner.  
  
  
The photographer was pushing people together to get a group shot.  
  
  
"Okay people! Everyone who is part of the family, get together." The photographer shouted.  
  
  
All of the old Scoobies along with Giles and Brandon's family huddled together for the picture.  
  
  
Dawn whispered to Buffy. "I wish mom was here."  
  
  
Buffy smiled sadly and squeezed Dawn's hand. "Me too."  
  
  
"Is this everyone?" The photographer called out.  
  
  
"I think this is everyone." Buffy laughed as she looked around at the people she loved. She hoped that wherever her mother was, she was watching and was proud.  
  
  
Dawn looked around and saw Spike standing in the corner watching and motioned him to come over. He shook his head.  
  
  
"Wait! There's one more." Dawn said loudly.  
  
  
Everyone turned in Spikes direction and he shifted nervously as everyone stared at him.  
  
  
"Please, Luv. He said family." Spike explained uncomfortably.  
  
  
Buffy stepped forward and motioned him over.  
  
  
"It's okay. You are family now, Spike." She said to him with a smile.  
  
  
He couldn't believe his ears and almost felt a tear come to his eye. Stupid emotions, he chided himself as he shook off the overwhelming feeling of belonging that he had never felt before.  
  
  
He stepped forward and Buffy embraced him. She whispered in his ear.  
  
  
"Don't make me regret this." She teased.  
  
  
He smiled at her, and took his place among the crowd next to Dawn who hugged him tightly. Dawn mouthed the words 'Thank you' at her sister. Buffy smiled at her.  
  
  
" Okay everyone! Smile!" Shrieked the photographer as the flash went off.  
  
  
  
Later when the pictures came back, Spike was pleased at how well the picture had turned out. It had been a long time since he had actually seen what he looked like and thought he was doing pretty well. It was a good thing that the whole 'vampires not showing up in pictures' was a myth. He had decided to have the picture blown up and hung over the mantle at their apartment  
  
  
He and Dawn had moved in together officially soon after Buffy's wedding. Spike had actually gotten a job working at the Dungeon as a bartender. He wanted to have money and be able to spoil Dawn the way she deserved. Buffy had cracked up when he told her that he had gotten a job.  
  
  
Spike and Buffy got along well now. Buffy had given birth to a daughter that they named Joy. It was similar to Joyce and Buffy was so filled with joy at her birth, that the name fit perfectly. Spike and Dawn were the doting aunt and uncle. Buffy had been surprised at how good Spike handled the baby and Joy was crazy for him.  
  
  
Giles had married his longtime love and they were now honeymooning in Hawaii. Willow and her girlfriend were thinking about getting married too. Spike chuckled at the idea of two women getting married, but it was legal now. Spike supposed alot changed when you had been alive for more than a century.  
  
  
Spike had never felt like this before. People actually cared for him and for the first time he felt part of a family. And not a twisted vampire family that only lived to kill and didn't really care about him. This was a real one. He knew he probably didn't deserve such happiness, but he was greatful anyway.  
  
  
He sat back on the sofa admiring the picture when Dawn arrived home. She sat down next to him and put her arms around him.  
  
  
"It's a great picture, isn't it?" She asked him noticing that he was staring at it.  
  
  
"Yes, Luv. It's perfect." He said lost in thought.  
  
  
"Welcome to the family." She said as she kissed him on the cheek.  
  
  
"It's good to be home." He said with a smile. He had finally found a place where he belonged.  



End file.
